LOGINMaya’s POVThey say everyone buys a major lesson their ass can't cash at some point in their life.Well, today, I definitely bought mine.Except I bought it by watching somebody else knock herself unconscious.I had gotten to the church earlier than everyone else because I needed to finish setting up my paint station.By the time the rest of the bridal party started arriving, I was already in position with my canvas, paints, brushes, and palette ready to go.And yes, I had my beautifully made clear smock on.It wasn't plastic.It was made from this special clear polyester material that was lightweight, flexible, and actually looked pretty damn elegant. It fell beautifully over my dress, almost like a designer apron, so unless you looked closely, you couldn't even tell I was wearing it.My painting was already about sixty percent done.I had the church background finished, the architectural details sketched and painted, and most of the major elements in place.Now I just needed the pe
Keisha’s POVI yawned as the alarm started blaring.I groaned and reached over to shut the damn thing off, then rolled over and looked for Kole.His side of the bed was already empty.Of course it was.I could hear the shower running in the bathroom.“Seriously, Kole?” I called out as I dragged myself out of bed. “Thanks a lot for waking me up.”His voice came through the bathroom door.“You’re welcome, babe. Come on in here.”I rolled my eyes.Men.I walked into the bathroom, quickly stripped down, and climbed into the shower with him.Yes, I knew we'd showered the night before.Did I care?Absolutely not.I wanted to be extra clean and fresh for this long-ass wedding day because I had a feeling it was going to be one hell of a day.We showered quickly, then jumped out and started our morning routine.Brushed our teeth.Washed our faces.Got dressed.Everything was happening at warp speed.Once I was ready, I went straight into Maemae's room.I changed her diaper and got her dressed,
Kole’s POVThe shit show that was supposed to be a simple rehearsal dinner and wedding rehearsal was officially over.Thank God.We had done the walkthrough five times.I’m not exaggerating.Five fucking times.Because Carmen, God bless her, was determined to make sure every single detail was perfect. Every person had to stand in the right place, walk at the right time, turn at the right angle, and apparently breathe according to her schedule.Something was always wrong.By the third walkthrough, I had stopped trying to figure out what the problem was.By the fifth, I was just ready to go home.The only person who seemed to benefit from all those rehearsals was Maya.She had managed to complete a full drawing of the church and had already started the painting. She was probably sixty percent finished, which was insane considering we'd barely been there long enough to rehearse anything.And this girl was good.Like, really good.She had somehow remembered the dresses on all the women in
Keisha’s POVI smirked as I looked over at an irritated Maya.She really thought that because she was “just the painter,” she wasn’t going to have to be involved in this whole little not so little rehearsal dinner.But she was.And she needed to be.The simple fact was that Maya needed to know exactly where she wanted to stand and what angle would give her the best view of Carmen and Stephen at the front. She wanted a full, unobstructed view of the bride and groom together so she could capture them properly in the painting.Especially Carmen's dress.That was the whole point.Maya wanted the front view of Carmen in her wedding gown and Stephen in his tux, so she needed to get the real optics of them together before tomorrow.As we finished packing up our to-go boxes, we walked out toward the cars.I looked over at Kole.“Well, hopefully this shit will be done quickly. We can go get our baby and have her ready for tomorrow.”Kole sighed.I already knew what was bothering him.He was st
Maya’s POVShane had officially told me that he was moving into his home.Okay, let me correct myself.Our home.I smiled to myself at the thought.Because yes, the promise he made to send one of his friends over to look at my house and give me an estimate for turning it into an Airbnb had actually panned out.The guy came Thursday.I walked him through the entire house, showed him everything, and waited for him to tell me how much money I was about to have to spend.Surprisingly, it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected.He told me that the house didn't need a ton of work. Once I moved all of my personal belongings out and changed some of the furniture, it would be pretty much ready.He did suggest knocking down one wall to open up one of the rooms and make the space more appealing.Then he gave me the quote.It wasn't bad at all.Actually, it made me understand how Shane had managed to get his new house completely renovated for such a reasonable price.The man knew people.And apparent
Shane’s POVTwo days later, I placed an order for some hot wings and an extra-large sausage and cheese pizza.“What's your name, sir?”“Shane.”“Is that the first name?”“Yeah.”“Okay, we got you. Your total will be thirty-two fifty.”I paid for our dinner, as usual.Because Isla had basically checked completely out.When I say checked out, I mean she had formally checked out of life.Sunday was the last straw for me. I had reached the point where I was done trying to pretend everything was okay when it clearly wasn't.Tonight was the night I was going to tell the kids that I was completely moving out after this weekend.I had originally planned to wait until SJ's graduation, but I didn't think I could make it that long. Graduation was still two weeks away, and mediation wasn't for another three weeks.This weekend was Carmen and Stephen's wedding, and because it was technically Isla's weekend with the kids. Maya and I had originally planned to stay at the hotel two nights, but after
Shane’s POVBeep. Beep. Beep. Beep.My hand reaches for my phone on instinct, but I can’t move.There’s a soft, warm weight pressed against my chest.I crack one eye open and look down.Maya.Still sprawled on top of me, naked, peaceful, completely out of it. Soft snores slipping from her lips like
Isla’s POVI wake up after falling asleep on the couch and the first thing I do is reach for my phone.1:03 a.m.I stare at the screen longer than I needed to.My husband, Shane, has always been home by 12 o’clock am on a Saturday night for the last thirteen years. We’ve been together since I was s
Explicit Scenes AheadShane's povThe mattress dipped under my weight, and I looked up to find Maya smirking down at me. That look, bold, and unapologetic sent a jolt through me that had nothing to do with the bed beneath us."Take off that t-shirt," she commanded, her voice a low purr.I didn't
Shane’s POVSitting across from Maya feels unreal, like I slipped into someone else’s life and forgot to check the mirror on the way in. She’s beautiful in that effortless, dangerous way. The kind of woman you don’t approach unless you’re prepared to have your whole equilibrium shaken, and here she







